


Camping

by Xie



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-18
Updated: 2014-05-18
Packaged: 2018-01-25 16:10:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1654592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xie/pseuds/Xie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The power goes out, and Brian and Justin finally go camping... sort of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Camping

Justin pushed the loft door open. "Brian? Gus?"

"In here."

Justin followed the soft glow of a flashlight to the bedroom. "I tried calling, but the cell towers are down…"

Brian's arm was around Gus' shoulder. "I told Gus the power went out."

Justin crawled under the covers on Gus' other side, and smiled at him. "Are you and your daddy camping out in here?"

Gus nodded, and Justin smiled, his voice light. "Well, ask him to tell you about the time we camped out in here." He added his arm to Brian's around Gus. "We even had a tent."

Gus looked at Brian. "You had a tent?"

Brian glared at Justin, but just said, "We did. Right here on the bed."

His eyes glowed. "Do you still have it?"

"Ask Justin," Brian said. "It was his tent. And his fanta…"

Justin cut him off. "The tent's in the storage locker, Gus. Do you want me to find it?"

Gus nodded. "You won't be scared going down there alone?"

Justin smiled. "Maybe I will. We should all go."

"I hate you," Brian whispered in his ear as Gus scrambled eagerly off the bed.

Justin just laughed and grabbed the flashlight.

_____

Justin stepped back and nodded in satisfaction. "There you go, Gus."

Gus was already climbing into the tent. He sat in the middle of the duvet, pillows on either side of him, and beamed at Brian and Justin.

"What's next, Sunshine?" Brian said, handing him the flashlight and crawling in after his son. "A campfire? Roasting marshmallows?"

"Can we?" Gus asked excitedly.

Justin wedged himself into the small amount of space on Gus' other side. "No, but I have Doritos." And he tossed the bag onto the covers.

"Crumbs," Brian said morosely. "Everywhere."

Justin smacked him. "Shut up. It's fun."

\------

Lindsay stood at the foot of the bed. She'd been perplexed when she saw the dark blob on top of it, but she could see in the dim moonlight that it was a tent. Her tired brain couldn't make any sense out of that, but she could see Gus curled up between his father and Justin, sleeping.

Brian opened his eyes. "Hey," he said softly. "You're okay. The cell towers…"

She nodded. "They're down. Everything's down. I drove all night to get here. Mel's with Jenny at Michael's."

"Are they…"

"Everyone's okay," Lindsay said. "Worried about you three, but fine."

Brian slid out of the tent and they went into the kitchen. "What the fuck's going on?"

She shook her head. "Some kind of computer terrorism that took out the grid and cellular communications for the entire Northeast."

"Fuck." He shoved his hand through his hair. "Probably some 14-year-old in Latvia with a dog-eared copy of 'Terrorism for Dummies.'"

Lindsay sighed. "Was Gus scared?"

"Momma!" Gus came tearing down the bedroom stairs, Justin behind him. "You got here!"

She scooped him up. "Here I am! And your sister and mom are fine at Uncle Michael's house. Let's go see them!"

Gus shook his head. "We're camping out!" he said. "Justin had a tent!"

"So I see." She smiled. "But everyone's worried about you, and the phones don't work." She glanced at Brian and Justin. "Maybe Justin will let you take the tent over there."

"Of course I will."

Brian followed Justin into the bedroom, watching while he stuffed the tent into its bag.

Justin glanced at Brian. "Did you want to go over there?"

Brian shrugged. "I think Gus would like it, but if you don't want…"

"Of course I do." He heaved the bag over his shoulder. "Let's go."

Candles were burning everywhere at Michael and Ben's, and a fire in the fireplace.

They were even marshmallows, courtesy of Grandma Debbie.

Gus was sitting in Brian's crossed legs, earnestly toasting his little blob of high fructose corn syrup and starch over the flames, when Justin noticed Ben staring out the window.

"You haven't heard from Hunter?"

Ben shook his head. "He should have been here by now..."

Justin put his hand on Ben's arm. "I'm sure he's fine, probably sheltering in place in his dorm."

Michael walked up behind them. "He's probably hiding from the FBI after hacking the Northeast grid."

Ben laughed, although it was strained. "I think shoplifting is more his speed, not international computer terrorism."

Michael smiled. "I don't know, our little boy's growing up. He could have branched out."

Justin left them to worry about Hunter, and went over to the fireplace. "Hey," he said, dropping down next to Brian.

"Marshmallow?" Brian offered him a charred lump on the end of a coat hanger.

Justin pulled it off and popped it into his mouth. Gus giggled and stuck a fresh one on, then thrust it into the flames.

Justin gazed into the fire. "Was the Liberty Ride like this?"

Brian snorted. "Not that I recall."

Justin sighed.. "I kind of missed not camping out under the stars with you."

"There were no stars. Too many clouds. And snow." He shifted. "And of course, the obligatory drugs, alcohol and sex."

Justin laughed, but didn't say anything else.

Brian stared at the fire. Gus was falling asleep against his chest, and he gently took the coat hanger and marshmallow out of his hand. Then he let his shoulder bump Justin's.

"Hey."

Justin smiled. "Hey."

"We can sleep outside tonight, if you want." He stuck his tongue in his cheek. "In your tent."

A banging on the door interrupted them. Ben got there first, his face beaming with happiness when he saw Hunter.

Debbie got there second. "Where the hell were you?"

While Hunter recounted his adventures walking all the way out to the house, Brian carried Gus to the sofa and covered him with a blanket.

Justin stood there, his arm around Brian's waist, and laughed. "Not quite the romantic camping trip I always dreamed of."

Brian looked at Gus, the fire, then back at Justin. "And yet... this doesn't completely suck, does it?"

Justin leaned forward and kissed him. "No. It really doesn't."


End file.
